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Why a New ’Avatar’ of Innovation is Necessary in Emerging Economies
In the past stripped down versions of products designed for developed economies were positioned as a low cost and cheap alternative in the emerging markets. This will no longer be a successful strategy. This bitter truth has been realized by many global vendors servicing the developing economies. I can vouch for this fact as I live in an emerging market (India) and understand the nuances of these developing countries. Today’s mantra is to carry out focused R&D efforts targeted a...
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Ending Africa’s Hungry Season: How Family Farms Are Driving Development
In rural sub-Saharan Africa, most people are farmers, and for part of the year, they go hungry. It’s called the hungry season. I encountered it when I lived in a farming community in Malawi for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer. Families in my village subsisted off of the maize and beans that they harvested, but there was only one growing season, and making stocks last an entire year was difficult. Imagine growing all of your family’s food for an entire year using just a hoe,...
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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New Legal Structures for ’Social Entrepreneurs’
You may have noticed the emerging class of "social entrepreneurs" who are creating companies that seek profit but also are devoted to a social purpose, to create long term, sustainable value. But, until recently, social entrepreneurs would find themselves in the position of choosing whether to organize either as a for-profit company or a nonprofit organization. The problem was that sometimes a company would be too much of a business to be a nonprofit. Yet, it also might be too mission-d...
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Samasource, Inveneo Included in Google $40M Grants
In its biggest single-day contribution ever, Google ( GOOG ) on Wednesday announced it has handed out $40 million to battle slavery, promote education and make technology more accessible worldwide, with nearly a fourth of the money going to Bay Area organizations. "The causes we are supporting are issues we’ve been committed...
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Could Thinking Small Be The Next Big Thing in Agricultural Development?
In India, every street corner has small shops displaying colourful strips of 1 rupee (about 1p) shampoo sachets, or stacks of mini soap bars. Creative marketing has even brought these sachets to isolated villages, draped on the back of camels. Hindustan Unilever was behind this "adapting to the poor" approach. Realising their soaps and shampoos were too expensive for poor people, they repackaged them into small, affordable sachets. These were initially sold door-to-door by "shakti ladie...
- Region
- South Asia
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A New Beginning for Microfinance in India?
A new report on India’s microfinance industry says that the troubles in Andhra Pradesh have been "one of the best things that could have happened to the sector." Really? Looking back at a year of microfinance in India, words like "crisis," "collapse" and "catastrophe" seem more fitting - and it all started in Andhra Pradesh, a state that used to be India’s microfinance hub. The decision by the local government to clamp down on collection practices last year spiraled into a crisi...
- Region
- South Asia
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Waterlife Gets $4.2 Million Investment from Matrix Partners India
Waterlife India Private Ltd (Waterlife) has announced that it has received Rs 22 crore investment from Matrix Partners India. The company provides quality potable water solutions. The Hyderabad-based company has installed safe water systems in more than 1,500 villages and urban areas covering more than a million people in a sustainable manner, a release said. Intellecap was the sole advisor for this transaction. The capital infusion would help Waterlife to expand. Having sta...
- Region
- South Asia
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How to Make It in Africa? Unilever Listens to the Consumer
"There is a growing realisation that the future of Africa is based around a consumer rather than mining. This is a consumer that has been under-served and over-charged," said Frank Braeken, Unilever executive vice-president for Africa at the High Growth Markets Summit at the end of September 2011. But Braeken pointed out that consumers in Ghana spend just one fifth ...
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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